Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock
Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock was the commanding officer of the German U-boat the U-96. He is often called "The Old Man" by his crew. A 30-year-old battle-hardened but good-hearted and sympathetic sea veteran, who complains to Werner that most of his crew are boys. He is openly anti-Nazi, and embittered and cynical about the war. In 1941, his u boat was accompanied by Ensign Werner who was a war correspondent of the Propaganda. During the early days of the patrol the u boat had bad luck that included nearly colliding with another u boat. During one night U-96 attacked a massive convoy and was bombarded with depth charges for hours. After hearing reports of u boat victories caused by their attack on the convoy meant no ship would be in their hunting area and suggested to head for La Rochelle. The worn-out U-boat crew looks forward to returning home to La Rochelle in time for Christmas, but the ship is ordered to La Spezia, Italy, which means passing through the Strait of Gibraltar—an area heavily defended by the Royal Navy. The U-boat makes a secret night rendezvous at the harbor of Vigo, in neutral although Axis-friendly Spain, with the SS Weser, an interned German merchant ship that clandestinely provides U-boats with fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies. The filthy officers seem out of place on the opulent dinner prepared for them, but are warmly greeted by enthusiastic officers eager to hear their exploits. The captain learns from an envoy of the German consulate that his request for Werner and the chief engineer to be sent back to Germany has been denied. The crew finishes resupplying and departs for Italy. As they carefully approach Gibraltar and are just about to dive, they are suddenly attacked by a British fighter plane, wounding the navigator. The captain orders the boat directly south towards the African coast at full speed. British ships begin closing in and they are forced to dive; it is later implied that the ships used radar to locate the sub. When attempting to level off, the boat does not respond and continues to sink until, just before being crushed by the pressure, it lands on a sea shelf, at the depth of 280 metres. The crew work desperately to make numerous repairs before running out of oxygen. After over 16 hours, they are able to surface by blowing out their ballast of water, and limp back towards La Rochelle under cover of darkness. When the u boat docked at La Rochelle, and became immediately under attack by Allied aircraft, which killed most of the elder members of the crew. Lehmann-Willenbrock watched as U-96 sunk at port before dying to his wounds. Awards *Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross *U-boat Badge Notes * The real Lehmann-Willenbrock survived the war and died on April 18, 1986 (aged 74) in Bremen. Gallery Capt..png Das boot c.jpg Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Category:U-Boat Badge Winners Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, Heinrich Category:Fictionalized Versions of Real People